Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 861 A Certificate

The Tuzu chieftains thought that they had the initiative because they controlled a large share of the South Pearl production... but they didn't know that this was a big mistake. The success or failure of so-called luxury goods has never been judged by production. Luxury goods should be judged by their "luxury".

In his previous life, Zhu Su had heard a story about a wealthy businessman who bought a pair of Song Dynasty vases at an auction for millions of dollars. It was said that this pair of vases was very precious, and there were only two of them in the world, which could be said to be unique.

However, what the rich businessman did next was jaw-dropping: he smashed one of the only two vases in existence, worth millions of dollars, into pieces right in front of everyone. This move stunned everyone, and the auctioneer asked him in surprise why he did this.

However, the rich businessman just smiled, with a cunning look on his face. He said: "I broke one vase, and now the other one is the only one in the world."

"If he was only worth a few million before... then now, he must be worth at least tens of millions!"

Luxury goods, like these antiques, do not compete in terms of production volume, but rather in terms of the “luxury” that is unique because of their “scarcity”.

The same is true for South Pearls. Zhu Su knew that with the South Pearl production of these Han chieftains, they would definitely not be a match for the Li people and Xu households. Therefore, Zhu Su used some insignificant tricks.

He first asked the prefect Wang Dabin to set up a South Pearl Chamber of Commerce in the name of eliminating counterfeit and inferior South Pearls to deceive the people and protect the local South Pearl industry. The Chamber was responsible for issuing South Pearl certificates to the jewelry of the South Pearl shops in the market. Just like the gold jewelry appraisal certificate in later generations, this South Pearl Appraisal Certificate is also written in black and white, authentic, and truly proves that the jewelry with this certificate is made of genuine Lianzhou South Pearls, and it is fair to everyone. If there is a counterfeit, the government will punish ten times the amount of the counterfeit.

However, if the beads don’t come with this certificate... hehe, I can’t guarantee it.

With just this one move, the South Pearls that were not able to enter the market for sale were greatly discounted. Merchants were all cunning people, and they knew that the customers they bought the pearls from must be powerful and wealthy merchants who valued their reputations… If the South Pearl bracelets sold by others had this certificate, but the ones I sold to them did not, what if others laughed at me and said that I bought fake beads without a certificate?

With this barrier, how could those powerful merchants be willing to pay for it? Although the beads might be the same... but with or without this certificate, the grade of the southern pearls in and outside the market was instantly separated.

Moreover, under Zhu Su's deliberate recruitment of accomplices, many masters who are proficient in craftsmanship and jewelry making have now settled in Lianzhou Market. With these craftsmen, many South Pearls were made into various jewelry and handicrafts on the spot, and their value rose to a new level.

In the past, merchants who bought South Pearls had to find craftsmen to make necklaces out of the beads before they could sell them. Now, this is a one-stop solution, which not only saves countless expenses, but also the names of the craftsmen on the certificates are enough to raise the profits of these South Pearls to a higher level... Therefore, when shops selling South Pearls and jewelry opened in the market, merchants flocked to them, and they wanted to sell their houses and wives to get the money to buy South Pearls in the market. How could they have the time to look at the loose South Pearls in the hands of the chieftains?

"As a result, the price of South Pearls will be even higher. However, most people who buy South Pearls want to show off their status with them, so they won't mind the high price. On the contrary, the pearls of other chieftains..." Li Wenzhong said with an admiring smile. He didn't pay attention to the chess game that Zhu Su had deliberately messed up, but was replaying Zhu Su's series of calculations in his mind.

A piece of "certificate" directly divided the originally no-different South Pearls into two distinct categories: the pearls of the chieftains who received the Ming Dynasty's permit and were willing to be under the Ming Dynasty's rule became "more valuable than gold"; while those chieftains who were hesitant or stubborn and ignored the court, the pearls in their hands were no different from dirt.

"Jinshen, add fuel to the fire of these chieftains." Zhu Su smiled cunningly. "Write to Yingtian and suggest that the Maritime Affairs Department include South Pearls in the list of maritime trade commodities, but it should be noted that only South Pearls with "certificates" are allowed to be traded overseas. If "South Pearls" without certificates are seized, they will be regarded as smuggling."

It is well known that if Chinese goods are shipped overseas, the profits will increase tenfold or even a hundredfold. If only certified South Pearls are allowed to be shipped overseas, then the quota of this market will be even more coveted.

"Yes, I'll write the letter right away." Xie Jin also had a smile in his eyes. It was common for the Maritime Affairs Department to regulate foreign trade items. In any foreign trade, there were always regulations on what could and could not be sold. For example, in the early years, in order to control the foreign tribes on the grassland, ironware was absolutely prohibited from being sold on the grassland. It was reasonable to prohibit the sale of unlicensed South Pearls. If such products of unknown origin were sold, and they were counterfeit or poorly made, wouldn't it ruin the reputation of our Celestial Empire?

"But Your Highness, the Ye family chieftains have limited pearls in stock after all... If the Nanzhu in the market is sold out, those merchants who have no pearls to buy will probably still go and collect the pearls in the hands of those chieftains."

"After all, although the profits from the beads are greatly reduced because they don't have certificates, there is still some profit. Since the merchants have come here, they will not return empty-handed."

"If that is the case, I am afraid those chieftains will still be able to hold on...what will happen then?" Xie Jin asked Zhu Su.

"It doesn't matter. How many people in the world would be willing to watch others eat meat while they can only drink soup?" Zhu Su said. "It doesn't matter if there really is such a person... Since he has made such a determination to oppose us, will he really keep swallowing his anger and be honest?"

To be fair, Zhu Su really hoped that there would be a chieftain who would stick his neck out and fight to the death in the market, or even secretly put some obstacles in the way... If he couldn't use an example to make an example of someone, how could he improve the government's prestige in Lianzhou Prefecture, which had already been lost?
……

In the east of the city, inside an inn.

"Brother Tian...did you go to the Lianzhou government office today?" The chieftain surnamed Qin looked unfriendly, staring at the chieftain surnamed Tian like a hawk.

Chieftain Tian looked very uncomfortable. He tried to cover up by hesitating, but he finally gave in under constant questioning. So he just threw it all away and said, "There are still many South Pearls in the tribe. If we can't sell them, how will the tribe survive?"

"My Tian family is not as wealthy as your Qin family. Nowadays, merchants only want certified South Pearls. If we don't enter the Lianzhou Market, how can we sell the accumulated pearls?"

"Brother Qin... I really can't hold on any longer..."

(End of this chapter)